Not a good sign: The marionettes from "Thunderbirds," the '60s British TV
program for children, display more life and appeal than the flesh-and-blood
humans who play the same characters in the live-action feature-film update
of the series. Built around the do-gooder Tracy family and its fleet of
high-tech rescue vehicles, this glorified puppet show is now a
quasi-blockbuster with a bland script, art direction that's faithful to the
original, and decent CGI enhancement. As the Tracys, Bill Paxton and a pack
of interchangeable younger actors are, uh-oh, wooden. Even venerated actor
Ben Kingsley can't do much with the underwritten role of telekinetic villain
The Hood, whose liberal use of eye shadow is his most evil trait. Rather
than key on team leader Jeff Tracy (Paxton) or other adults, the movie tries
to emulate the success of the child-friendly "Spy Kids" flicks: It fixates
on Jeff's pubescent son Alan and two of his peers as they scurry to save the
incapacitated Tracy clan and the world from the Hood. Without Sophia Myles'
frothy turn as pretty-in-pink not-so-secret-agent Lady Penelope,
"Thunderbirds" would be useless for anyone over 12. With verve, beauty, a
karate-savvy manservant and a truly convertible pink sports car capable of
traversing land, sea and air, Myles is like the reincarnation of Emma Peel
from the TV classic "The Avengers." Alas, she's only in a few scenes.